The fateful decision.......

Greg had an out-of-state business meeting for a few days at the end of the week. Greg is the country coordinator for his company's marketing division, so traveling around the country is very much 60% of his work time. Since this year, Greg hadn't had much time with his wife, Sue and she wanted a break from the kids for a few days, she followed Greg on this business trip. 

They left the kids with their usual babysitter. A very reliable one they have been hiring for a couple of years now to look after his son and daughter.

The trip was supposed to be from the Thursday to Sunday that week. The meeting did not go so well and Greg had to prepare some paperwork to report on the unfortunate outcomes of the meeting so Greg decided to leave for home a day earlier. 

Plane touched down on the local airport, Greg and Sue checked out their luggages and drive for home. Nearing their neighbourhood, they suddenly saw a lot of smoke coming from a few blocks away. Greg makes a turn for that direction. Sue was a little startled and said, "Greg, it's none of our concern. Let's just head home." Greg replied, "Sue, it's only for a short while and we might be able to help in some way."

Sue wasn't exactly impressed with his benevolent attitude but went on with him. As they turned into the lane, it was Mike's house on fire. Mike is a close neighbour of Greg and their kids play a lot together at a nearby neighbourhood park. 

Greg go out of the car and saw Mike's wife screaming for help mentioning the kids were still in the basement. Greg was about to rush into the house when Sue held his arm, "Greg, don't go in! Wait for the fire brigade to get here. You are going to ruin the clothes I bought for your birthday this year." Greg took her arm away, got a nearby hose to wet himself and rushed into the house to get Mike's kids. 

Feeling his way through the burning house, looking for the living room where the entrance of the basement was and when Greg finally got to the basement, he saw Mike's son and daughter hanging on to each other. Greg grabbed the both of them and rushed out of the house in haste. 

As Greg passed the kitchen, on his left in another room, he could have sworn he heard voices of children shouting for help. He could not be sure under all the loud cracking sounds of the flames slowly engulfing the house. Greg quickly ran out of the house to drop off Mike's kids and was about to turn around and run back in when Sue stood in front of him and said, "Greg, please don't go in anymore. It's suicidal and the house is about to come down. Please! Don't do it! It's not worth getting killed for another person's cause." 

Greg brushed Sue of and hose himself down with water and rushed into the burning house to check the room he thought he heard voices in. Finding the room wasn't difficult since it was at the back of the house near the kitchen. Greg kicked the door open and saw two kids close to losing consciousness from smoke poisoning. Greg got hold of both the children and tried for the backdoor exit.

Before he could reach the door, the roof above the door came down blocking the exit. Greg knew time was running out and he had to think really fast if was going to save himself and the children in his hands. As he scanned his surroundings, he noticed a window above the kitchen sink. Without thinking he stood back and ran as fast as he could and leaped into the window. Breaking the window, Greg landed in the backyard with loud thud and rolling a few metres while holding the children tightly.

Sue rushed towards Greg to make sure he was alright. As Greg got up and looked at the kids he just saved, he realised it was his own boy and girl. Apparently, the baby sitter left them at Mike's while she went out to do some quick groceries. Sue realising that Greg just saved their kids, she just stood there speechless and regretting her foolishness.......................

~Path of Time~ by Micky Foo is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.

It's not about the time, it's not about the money, it's not about the lifestyle, it's about making memories

Caroline graduated with a degree in medical and secured an above average paying job in one of the most renown hospital in the city. She eventually scored a high profile heart operation on one of the country's richest entrepreneurs. Caroline was never lacking in medical cases and she was always busy. 

At 28 years of age, Caroline married to an every-girl's-dream-guy, Mason - handsome, toned body, well mannered, respected his woman type-of-guy architect. Friends and family had only one thing to say to those two love birds - match made in heaven! 

4 years down the road, Caroline and Mason had their first son, Tom. Becoming a parent was anything but easy, especially for first time parents like Caroline and Mason. Everyday was a rush for either one of them to get off work to fetch Tom from Mason's parent's because Caroline's parents were from out of state and Mason's played an active role in a charitable organisation and could not take care of Tom anytime after 6 o'clock in the evening. 

The night after celebrating Tom's first birthday, just before going to bed Caroline spoke to Mason, "Mason, I not sure you are going to agree with me on this but I think I want to be a full time mom to take care of Tom. What do you think?" Mason gave it a thought for a while and said, "Should be okay if that's what you want. We can always work something out. I guess we can hire a maid to handle the housework while you take care of Tom boy." 

"We don't need a maid dear. After all, I know how you always want to keep our privacy and you never liked the idea of having a maid around the house. I should be able to handle the housework. We don't really live in a big house you know!", replied Caroline with a chuckle. 

"If you think that's the right thing to do, we can go with it.", Mason replied respecting Caroline's decision. 

Caroline looked at Mason and said, "Thanks a lot dear. But I know it will be tougher on you since we are going to lose my side of the income. I hope you are okay with it."

Tom reassuringly held Caroline's hands and said , "Of course I am okay with it dear. After all, at Tom boy's age what he needs most is his mother, you. I can work my schedule to spend more time with you two since I can work my project designs from home."

The following day, when close friends and relatives heard about Caroline's decision and resignation, everyone thought she was suffering from post pregnancy depression. Caroline's best friend, Meg asked her over lunch, "Are you sure you are okay, Caroline? I mean you are going to give up your job? You'll forgo all that income and especially now when your career is building. You sure you want to do that?" 

Caroline said, "Thanks for your concern Meg. I am really okay. I am a doctor and I would know if I am suffering from post pregnancy depression. But the thing is, with my parents out of state and clearly inconvenient for them to come down to help take care of Tom and with Mason's parents being active with their charity stuff, there really is no one else to take care of Tom."

Meg shook her head and replied, "Get a nanny or a baby sitter or a maid or something! They can handle Tom."

Caroline replied, "Meg, Tom is my only child at the moment. In my life time there will only be one chance for me to see one year old Tom, then two year old Tom, then three year old Tom and until he grows up. He needs me especially at this young age, and if I miss the time with him now, I will never get it back. I am talking about changing his diapers, cuddling with him to bed, reading him a bed time story to bed, feeding him his milk, playing toys with him, bathing with him. It's a once in a lifetime experience with Tom. I'll never change his diapers again once he passes the diaper age, or feed him his milk. Wouldn't you want to create such lifetime memories like these? I mean I do agree having the high salary does allow my family and I to have a nice lifestyle and all that but it's not worth it."

Meg just sighed and said, "I sure hope you are making the right choice Caroline. I wouldn't forgo a high paying job for anything. If I have to, I'd rather work my timetable to fit my kids."

Caroline just smiled and replied, "That's your way of handling it Meg, not mine. To me, it's more than that. It's not about the time, it's not about the money, it's not about the lifestyle, it's about making memories."

The Piggy Bank ~ an inspiration

The Piggy Bank, from the eyes of a boy named James.............

I remembered when I was a kid, dad and mom always had a piggy bank by the bed in the old wooden cottage we used to live in. Any lose change and coins would go in to that piggy bank. It wasn't any normal piggy bank, it was made from wood, something my grandfather taught my dad when my dad was a kid.

Dad was a rubber tapper, and mom worked as a tea lady for a nearby law firm not far from where we lived. Back in the early 60s, wages were earned by the hour. Mom didn't really get much because she worked a fixed 8 hours a day. Dad earned a bit more since he used to worked till late at night to get a little extra.

Every night before I cuddled up with them to bed, we would count how much coins we had for the day and put the coins into the piggy bank. Every time we drop those coins in, I could hear the coins hitting each other. Dad would always say, "Your mommy and I will make sure you get a good education and won't ever need to stay in a wooden cottage with no rooms."

Dad always made sure we had enough piggy banks to store up a month's worth of wage savings. Each time one piggy bank became full, he would keep the piggy bank safely in the closet and take out a new piggy bank to continue depositing coins in it. At the end of the month dad and I would walk to the nearest bank carrying the piggy banks in sacks. Every time we deposited the coins in the bank, dad would rub my tiny head and say, "All these piggy bank savings will get you a good education and brighter future. Your mommy and I don't want you struggling like us!" 

No matter how rough the situation was, dad and mom always made sure there was some left to put in the piggy bank. When dad lost his job during the a bad depression, times were really bad for us, but neither did dad or mom take a dime from the piggy bank. We had stew for food, and sometimes skipping lunch only to have dinner. Stew was the easy to make and could last a couple of days. Dad would still rub my little head and say, "We can't use a single dime from the piggy bank! All the money in there is to make sure you won't have to skip lunch and have stew for meals. Not unless you want to have stew that is...." He always said it with a smile even though I knew he spared most of his stew for me.

Few years down the road, all the money saved eventually saw me through schooling, college and university. Not only did it see me through my education, we had a little extra to shift out from our run down wooden cottage to a better home. Mom made an effort to frame up all my milestone education certificates on the wall of our living room and at the bottom of the large frame housing all the certificates carved the words, "Funded by the Family Piggy Bank". 

Now I am married to a beautiful wife, Susan and we have a 6 months old son.

My family and I are spending Christmas at my dad and mom's. Reaching their place during Christmas eve, as I walked around the house to see how much it has changed since I got married and had a son, I caught a glimpse of a piggy bank by their bed. I smiled and felt a great sense of thankfulness.

Christmas eve dinner was great, we caught up a lot on how things have been. Mom and dad couldn't stop playing with 6 months old Tommy. While they were taking care of Tommy, I helped Susan with the dishes.

After all the cleaning up, it was almost 10 o'clock and I saw dad carrying Tommy into the bedroom. As we crossed paths, my dad's eye caught mine and even though we said nothing we knew we had one of the best Christmas eve ever because of the family piggy bank.

The piggy bank taught me more than any words of a parent could teach me. It taught me about patience, determination, saving, anything small can grow to a substantial size, a promise of a father and mother to their child is a promise for life. 

And that's the Piggy Bank in the eyes of now a man named James.........

Use this end of the year to reflect on how things have been for you. Things have not been good for me this year but it may be better for you. Most importantly, if you are now successful, or becoming successful, or even just out into the working world; remember it was your parents who made the sacrifice to get you to where you are............... Have a splendid Christmas for 2008.

What Mr. Brown cherished most........

Robby had only one dream, one vision when he grew up as a boy. He wanted to be a high flying successful businessman. He never thought about anything else since he went to school right up to getting his MBA. He did not want anything to get in the way of his concentration - no relationships, no entertainment, cut back on movies, no time even for casual reading. Robby's daily schedule for seven days a week was to get up 6am in the morning do pre-read up on whatever lectures that was going to come up for the day. After lectures, he goes straight home freshen up and do post-read up on his lectures.

Achieved his dream he did! Robby is now a well known person in the business of trading of seafood. Robby actually shifted away from home to a different state to keep his focus. To Robby, nothing mattered more than the future. Managing his business was always a top priority and he hardly spent time with his wife and daughter.

While in his office on a Monday morning, Robby's hand phone rings. He takes a look, the number displayed belongs to his house. "Must be mom. Wonder what's up.", mumbles Robby and answers the call, "Hi mom! What's up?" His mom replies, "Hi there Robby. How's it going there? Busy is ever my dear son?" Robby goes, "Yea mom, business is pretty good and I am doing fine myself."

Robby's mom go on, "Anyway Robby, do you remember Mr. Brown from next door?". "Yup, I sure remembered him. I used to drop by his house every evening after dinner just to hang around and play around the wooden puppets he made for a living. What about him?". "Well, Mr. Brown passed away last night from a sudden heart attack.".

Robby went quiet.......... "Robby? Robby? You still on the line?", his mom said. Robby just went blanked and realised he hadn't said anything for a while, "Sorry mom, just felt so surprised. He was a nice guy. It's been a while since I last spoke to him."

"Mr. Brown never forgot you. Every time he saw me, he'd definitely ask how you are doing. He always talked about how you spent hours with him just chatting in his small house." Robby's mom told Robby.

"Yea.... I sure remember those times. He pretty much was a dad to me ever since dad and you divorced when I was 5 years old. When's the funeral?" Robby said.

"Funeral's the funeral at the usual church Mr. Brown goes to." Robby's mom replied. "I'll be there as soon as I rearrange my schedule for tomorrow. Thanks for letting me know mom. See you there." Robby said. As soon as Robby hung up, he reworked his schedule and was on the next flight back home for Mr. Brown's funeral.

The following day, after the funeral, Robby and his mom went to look at the small house Mr. Brown lived in for the last time. Robby just sighed, "I am going to miss him. He was always around to encourage me to do what I wanted to do and really strife to do well in my studies. I remembered each time I walked up these very steps into his house, he'd have tea waiting for me on the table knowing I would like a relaxing tea drink after studying."

As Robby took a last around the house, he suddenly remember something and went looking for something. Robby's mom was puzzled and asked, "Robby, what are you looking for?". Robby, panting while searching said, "Mr. Brown had a very special wooden puppet in a very nicely carved wooden box he made himself. He always said that it was like a daughter he never had. I remembered he placed it just beside the tv shelf. It was always dust free and clean. He'd never let me touch it, not even with my baby finger! Where had it gone to?"

Robby's mom said, "It's been a long time since you were here, he might have sold it." Robby let out a sigh of disappointment, "You might be right mom. Thought I might take with me for keepsake."

The very next day, Robby was back at work as usual. He got back home late in the evening about close to 10 o'clock at night. His wife greeted him as usual, "Hi hon, dinner's ready on the table warm the way you like it. By the way, a package came in this morning for you. I placed it on the dining table." "Thanks a lot sweet heart", as Robby approached dinner he picked up the package which read, "To my best young pal, Robby. From the guy next door, Mr. Brown."

Robby unwrapped the package, and found the beautifully carved wooden box that carried a beautiful puppet Robby was looking for back at Mr. Brown's home. In the hands of the puppet held a letter. Robby, opened the letter and read it. As he read, tears were trickling down his cheeks.

The letter read:
"Robby boy, if you are reading this letter that would mean you got my most precious puppet and probably the best puppet I ever carved in my entire career as a puppeteer. Most importantly, it would mean I have passed on. I sure hope I didn't look like a dried prune lying in my casket! Anyway Robby boy, pick up the puppet and be careful with it and take a peek on the back side of the puppet."

When Robby turned the puppet around, Robby saw what was carved and started crying. At the back of the puppet Mr. Brown carved out very finely and accurately which said, "Thanks for your time, Robby boy!".

Robby just sat at the dining table while his wife held him close to her bosom as he wept.

"What Mr. Brown cherished and appreciated most was my time with him," said Robby as he cried.

As Robby held on to the puppet, the following day he called his office and cancelled all appointments. His assistant, Rosanne was startled and asked, "What's happening in these two days?"

"Nothing much," Robby replied. "Just want to spend more time with my wife and my daughter. That's all. Oh yea, and Rosanne...... thanks for your time!"

Man in the Mirror

Bill is a middle-aged man, earning a substantial salary, working as a CEO of multinational corporation. He's unmarried, lives in a mansion with wonderfully designed swimming pool, sauna, imported Italian tiles, French chandeliers, $55,000 music sound system and custom designed interior decorations with canvas paintings he purchases off high street auctions hung creatively around his mansion. Bill's substantial salary is really substantial!

But the thing about Bill is this - he hardly has friends because he is always fearing for his life someone might be out there to cheat him. At work, he doesn't give instructions to his subordinates but he fires orders at them and expect things done yesterday. Among the very few friends he has, all of them know that getting him to buy them lunch, even if it is a cheap lunch is like searching for the holy grail. Most obvious about Bill was that, he never failed to find fault in anyone, in anything they did. From his sectretary being late to work five minutes, his subordinates not having proper reporting skills or the tea lady making his coffee too sweet.

A little bit about Bill - Bill came from a broken family, of which is dad left his mom and him to fend for themselves in this unforgiving world. Making matters worse, Bill was born with a foot defect, hence finding a part time job when he was younger was difficult. He couldn't ride a bicycle to deliver newspapers every morning like other kids because of this foot defect. When he tried to go around to do odd jobs to supplement his mom's daily wages from dish washing and factory work, he was often declined just because people assumed he was not capable due to his foot defect, or some cases people thought he was going from house to house in the neighbourhood to beg. Children his age, constantly picked on him and made fun of him.

At one point in time when Bill's mom lost her jobs due to bad economy, both of them wandered the streets at night to find a place to sleep because they simply could not afford the rent and rates. Bill's foot defect always slowed them down at reaching social service homes that offered per-night lodging for the homeless.

Eventually they persevered, Bill got through secondary school with flying colours, furthering his studies through a scholarship he received. He went through the early stages of his life telling himself, "I am going hit it big one day, and no one is going to laugh at me no more!". He gritted his teeth every night telling himself the same phrase just before he falls asleep.

The early hard life of Bill took it's toll on his mother, and she passed away few years after he completed his tertiary studies battling a string of health problems. His mother was really the only one he ever trusted and to honour her sacrifice for him, he continued to work hard climbing all the way up to where he is now. He never failed to give credit to his mother for his success.

But because of his horrible younger experience taking punches from society, he never really opened himself to anyone, and in his mind, "Now I am richer and more powerful than all of you who laughed at me last time." In simplest terms - he hated this society.

Until one day, when a young boy walks up his mansion rings the bell and asks, "Do you have an odd job for me? I can help water the plants, trim the hedges, do dishes. Anything you want me to do, sir!." Bill, would bluntly reply, "Go oway!" over the intercom to his front gates. This young boy never gave up and came everyday to ask Bill.

Eventually Bill gave up and said, "What the hell, come on in and help me water the plants and wax my cars. Do a bad job and you get nothing kid!"

As the child walked up to his front door, Bill saw a young boy in ragged clothes, he could see the child was hungry and obviously hadn't bathe for days. The young boy looked at Bill and said, "Thank you sir! Thank you for letting me do something and earn some pennies for lunch today. I won't disappoint you, sir!" Bill just turned away and said, "Just hit the intercom when you are done. I'll pay you if you do a good job."

As Bill turned around, he felt something in his heart. He felt something tugging at him in his heart. He felt something...... He felt like he saw himself in the young boy. Like he was looking in the mirror rewinding his life back to how he begin. 

About two hours later, the young boy rings the intercom, "Sir, I am done with watering the plants and waxing your cars sir." Bill pays the young boy as promised and Bill saw a happy young boy who would probably run along to get lunch. 

The day after, Bill decided to take a walk to his office instead of driving. After all, his office was not far from where he lived. He left the main gate of his mansion, in the chilling winter morning of December, he turned up the collar of his winter coat against the strong winds blowing at him and started his walk to work.

It was a 20 minute walk that lasted almost forever for Bill. He saw kids on the street with not enough to eat, homeless people with not a nickel to loan, no where to go; wandering the streets of the city. Throughout his walk Bill could not stop thinking about the young boy who ran off happy after earning a few dollars. 

When he reached his office, he went to the bathroom and looked into the mirror. As he looked into the mirror, Bill realised the man in the mirror made a difference for a young boy. More than that, Bill realised by starting with looking at the man in the mirror and making a change, someone out there may be a quantum happier.

Since then, every morning Bill looked in the mirror and slowly changed his attitude. He no longer gave orders but he gave instructions, and with a smile. He was a more approachable person and people felt a lot more comfortable around him. Most importantly, he never picked on the faults of other realising he had the same fault or probably worse ones. 

Every morning we wake up and look in the mirror when brushing our teeth or shaving. Look carefully at yourself, but not just on the outside. Look at yourself on the inside....... start your day by looking at the person in the mirror and ask yourself to change your ways. No message can be clearer if you want to make the world a better place. 

~ ears ~

Mike was born a handsome child but unfortunately, without a pair of outer ears. When he was given birth to, his parents were worried whether he would have any hearing problems. Thankfully, as Mike grew up as a boy, it was clear that he would have no problems with hearing.

His child hood was anything but normal. Frequently dubbed a "freak", he would come running home after kindergarten and primary school with tears in his eyes. Without having to ask him, his mother would already know what had happened. Mike, with tears in his eyes would let it all out to his mother, "They called me a freak boy!" or "Why do I have go through such things, mom?" Mike's mom would always hug him close to her and gently say, "You are not a freak Mike. You don't look any different to me. In fact, you are more handsome than other kids out there."

Sometimes at night, Mike's mom would take a peek through his room door in the middle of the night while he is fast asleep to find tears rolling down his cheek.

Mike at school, excelled in pretty much all aspects - studies, sports, social work, music you name it, he's got it. Quite honestly, he virtually out shined his 'normal peers'.

His parents knew he had a lot ahead of him and wanted the best for him. They decided they had to find some way to help Mike. They went to plastic surgeons to see what could be done. There was a solution, explained the doctor, "It is very much possible for me to graft a pair of ears for him. Problem is, that's if we can procure a pair."

A month went by after Mike's parents visited the doctor then Mike's father comes along, "Mike, we are going to a doctor. We are going to get you a pair of decent ears my son!" Mike was surprised, clearly never thinking he was ever going to get a pair of ears forever.

3 hours after the operation, feeling some pain in his new found ears Mike felt complete. He couldn't help but ask his dad, "dad, you've got to tell me who the donour was. I have to thank that person. I don't know how I can ever repay him or her." His dad replied, "Well son, your mom and I have promised each other that it would remain a secret. At least for now. You'll know when the time comes my boy."

Years went by, Mike graduated with a 1st class honours degree in medicine, became a well known specialist in treating deformities like the one he had when he was child. He even got married to a wonderful, loving wife and had a baby boy and girl with her.

Like any other human being, his mother couldn't escape the fate of death at 76 years of age. On the funeral date at the casket where Mike's mom lied in peace, Mike's dad finally called upon Mike and gently lifted the thick hair of Mike's mom revealing she had no outer ears.

"You know Mike, your mom always said she was glad she could trim her hair by herself and never had to let anyone else do it for her. No one ever thought she was less beautiful than she was before." Mike finally knew who the kind donour was - his loving mother.

Beauty is not about what can be seen, it is about what is in the heart. Goodness is not about what can be seen, it is in the unseen. Sincerity and true love is not about what is done and made known, it dwells in what is done without having it made known. Most importantly, you may have married a wonderful partner, have beautiful kids, but the greatest love of all comes from your parents. You may not know it but if something hurts you, it hurts them just as well...............

Ever wondered who packed your parachute?

Back during the Vietnam war, there was a very successful fighter jet pilot with amazing success rates. We are talking about 65 out of 65 successful missions. Like all good things, it had to come to an end and on the 66th mission his plane was shot down by enemy anti aircraft guns. Thankfully, he managed to hit the eject button in time and parachuted out of the burning jet. Unfortunately he landed in enemy zone and spent the subsequent 8 years as a prisoner of war (not a very nice thing despite the free board and lodging). Guts, patience and a whole lot of prayer helped him survive the ordeal. He now lectures on the lessons learned from the horrible experience. 

One fine afternoon, while having lunch with his wife in a normal down town restaurant, a man about the same age as him walked up to his table and said, "You're Jeff right? You flew the F-4 Phantom nicknamed the Thundering Hawk! You were shot down!". Startled, Jeff asked, "how on earth did you know that?" "I packed your parachute," replied the man.

Jeff was surprised and was feeling a gush of gratitude deep down. The man was very proud of himself and said, "I guess it worked!" Jeff assured him, "If it weren't for the chute you packed for me back then, I wouldn't be here enjoying my shepard's pie at this very day."

That night, Jeff kept tossing and turning in bed. He kept thinking to himself, "Who was he? How would he have looked like in a Navy uniform: white hat, bib in the back, and bell bottom trouser." He kept thinking, thinking and thinking but that man simply did not ring a bell. Jeff let out a long sigh, "I wonder how many times I might have seen him and not even said hi or good morning, how are you or anything like that. Back then, I was the pilot and he was but a sailor."

Jeff pondered the long hours the sailor had spent under the ship, checking the parachute stitch by stitch to make sure there was no puncture, folding the parachute to precision otherwise the chute would never open mid-air, in his hands the very parachute that could mean a pilot could live on to see his family or die in a plane crash; the very life of someone he never knew. 

Now, give yourself about 10 minutes to digest what I have written above (by the way, the story is something I came up with so don't go Googling for Jeff and some plane called Thundering Hawk). Digested the literature? Now ask yourself this - "Who's packing your parachute?"

You may not realise it, but you, me and everyone has someone who provides what we need to pull through the day. You may not realise it but Jeff needed many kinds of parachutes when his plane was shot down over enemy territory - he needed his physical parachute, his mental parachute, his emotional parachute, and his spiritual parachute. He called on all these supports before reaching safety. Although Jeff maybe a fictional character but, we should be prepared for any challenges ahead but recognise this one fact - you can't go through it alone. As you go through this week, this month, this year... recognise people who pack your parachute!

A little help goes a long way....

Back during my primary school days, I didn't get much for pocket money for a day. I think it was a dollar day. But, of course money back then had a higher purchasing power. A dollar a day even during those times were some times hard to get buy and I had to settle for lesser food items because other more luxurious food like canteen chicken rice would cost a dollar fifty. Some days, I'd not spend the money so I can snowball the money for the next day to get a bigger meal during recess.

There was one day, while waiting for my mom to pick me up from school I saw this guy sitting by the roadside. He didn't look like he had any bad intentions, neither did he look like he was really mangy. Although I never really noticed but many of my schoolmates see him around often and he'd be sitting at the same spot by the roadside everytime he's around my school.

On that day when I saw him by himself, sitting by the roadside, I decided to just approach him and ask him why he'd sit there. After all, my mom was going to be late considering she hadn't got there after close to half an hour. So I approached him, "hi uncle, do you come here often?". He replied with a rather sad tone, "no place to go, no one wants me, just another old man by the road my young one.". Innocent as a young boy, I asked, "why is that so uncle?". He gave a long sigh and said, "well, I used to live with a daughter of mine about few years ago until........ until she and my son-in-law thought I was a bother to them.". 

At that young age, I had no idea what he meant and so, I asked, "but don't children like to have their daddy around? I love to have my daddy around!". He looked at me, "well kid, you have the right attitude, remember that always. It's been 8 years and 11 days ever since the day they got rid of me. I am 68 years old this year and I live down by the road there, a young lad rented a room to me and I have been delivering newspapers for 8 years now.".

For some unknown reason, I found myself rummaging through my pockets and I took the dollar I got for that day's expenses and I took out a dollar I saved from yesterday, with a wide grin, "here you go uncle! Take it!". He looked at me, "thank you my young friend, but I can't possibly take your money. You need to eat so you can grow up to be big and strong.". I replied, "nah.... it's okay uncle, just take it. I didn't eat today so you can have it. Go on, take it!". He looked at me for a long time, eyes going red probably close to tears, he said with a very grateful tone, "thank you, thank you. I wish I had a child like you.". 

My mom eventually reached school, and I got in the car gave the old man a wave and went on my merry way back home. The following day when I went to school, the school security guard spoked to me, "hey, I saw you talking to the old man from down the road. That poor chap. I usually have lunch in the same place as he does down the road not far from here. Everyday I see him just eating plain rice and some vege. Yesterday, I saw you giving him some money. Yesterday, for once in years I actually saw him eating more than just plain rice and vege. I am not sure how much you gave him but it is rare to see him eating with a small smile on his face.".

After hearing the words of the security guard, I went to school that morning with my heart bursting with a big heart of happiness inside. I knew I did some good! Ever since the day I spoke to the old man, everytime I saw him sitting at the same spot I'd sit beside him and talk to him. That went on until I left primary school for secondary school. Surprisingly, I never got his name and I never knew why I never asked. 

Looking back, I realise help can come in all sorts of shapes and sizes from all sorts of people. Even the tiniest bit of help can go a long way.................. 

A History of God - The 4,000 Year Old Quest of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

After 6 months, I finally finished reading this book. I finished last night before I knocked off for bed. 6 months for my standard is very unusual considering it usually takes me less than 3 months to finish a book as thick as this one. No, it is not because this book was not a good read but due mainly to the fact that I lack the relevant knowledge on such a topic. I am certainly no clergyman and do not think I am under the category of a God fearing person. Personally I believe there is a God who is constantly around us. 

I constantly seek knowledge on this elusive topic because I think there is much for us to understand about God. Who, where, how, to answers these questions. Out there in the world there are many religions, beliefs and faiths all centered on one Almight Being - God. Ironically, there is no one person that can clearly tell or explain this God, and this one God of all these faiths may have stemmed from the same starting point. After all, a close study will point out that the Middle Eaest does seem to be obvious starting point where it all began. 

Now that I have finished the book, I have come to realise that there is so, so, so much more to look out for and that what I currently know now is merely the tip of the iceberg. Not to mention, I am was very much misinformed about this subject altogether. 

This book starts by exploring the nature of God - is it a one God, does God exist in Threeness? Or does God exist in an infinitude quantum?  This book clearly opens the window to the many different ideas, views and opinions of different sects dating way back in history as early as the sixth century BCE. Before I go on further, for those who depend on the unshakeableness of their beliefs may find this book upsetting, disturbing or worse you may now realise you might have been believing in something without due inquiry.

In a nutshell, this book is very much a book of thelogical history. Armstrong narrates from how humans first began to worship the Sky God to Earth Mother to polytheism  (i.e. the belief in more than one God) and then to Abraham's faith in one God (i.e. monotheism). 

In her book, Armstrong also explores "Documentary Hypothesis" of the Pentateuch stemming from the sources of J, E, P and D. Truth be told - I have no idea what is it, and I am still reading up on this topic to gain a better insight.

Until the point where monotheism became the predominant belief, Armstrong then narrates on the global paradigm shifts in monotheism. You'd be surprise how it has changed to become our God today. It starts with the Judaism belief in Yahweh and the priestly temple-centric regime which insists that the temple is the ultimate dwelling place for God on earth, having chosen Israel. Then came John the Baptist and the ministry of Jesus - the well known God in Trinity. Then, about the year 610 an Arab merchant bearing the name Muhammad ibn Abdallah receives an epiphany and brings forth the advent of Islam, a faith that was unity centric during the trying times when civil clashes were common in the Arab region. 

As society became more informed and learned, God became a focus of studies and in depth scrutiny evolving God into a God of the Philosophers attracting the likes of Socrates, Archimedes and Aristotle to name a few. The evolution did not stop there, and slowly God evolved into a God of Mystics whereby mythology reasserted itself as the chief vehicle of religious experience. 

Towards the 15th and 16th centuries, God became a God for reformers with the advent of the Renaissance period. Renaissance was the period that gave birth to thinkers and faith was an important factor in lives of the people during that time. People were becoming vocal and were dissatisfied with the medieval forms of religion and faith that could no longer meet the demands of current generation. This period was very much a clash of intellectuality, which saw the split between Catholic and Protestant camps. In addition, this was also the period where Islam splitted to several sects. 

Then comes the era of enlightment, a period when, and I quote from the book "there was new optimism about humanity as control over the natural world, which had once held mankind in thrall, appeared to advance in leaps and bounds. People began to believe that better education and improved laws could bring light to the human spirit. This new confidence in the natural power of human beings meant that people came to believe that they could achieve enlightment by means of their own exertions.".

Towards the end of the book, Armstrong then puts forth a discussion on how our society has evolved given our advancement in technology, knowledege, anthropology, and puts forth a chapter which in short asks -  Does God have a future? 

All in all, from a knowledge acquiring point of view, this is indeed a good book for readers who like history like myself. I must admit, having finished this book there are more questions marks running through my brain. I should be doing more book purchases soon given the long list of suggested further reading at the end of this book.

Hard times around and staying thankful sure helps!

Global recession has kicked in with many strong economies being brought down to it's knees, and for most of us the term 'lavish' does not quite exist in our vocabulary. Spending is kept under tight control and saving is our main priority. 

Hard times come and go but there is one thing all of can do to make the hard times feel less painful. Be thankful! :) Being thankful has worked wonders for me probably because I never had much to begin with, so being thankful was really all I could do.

How I feel thankful:

1. I start by searching for things I can be grateful for - I've got my car albeit it is 20 years old, I get decent food everyday, I've got clothes to cover me, I've got a roof over my head during the rainy and sunny times.

2. Spread the joy of being thankful by sharing how grateful you are about something with a loved one or friend. You will probably find yourself smiling by the time you are done sharing about it. 

3. There's always more to be grateful for. Although having wealth can always bring about a verr, very, very comfortable lifestyle, it can sometimes lack the value. For example, when wealth was in your grasp 350g sirloin steak was probably your staple diet. But ask yourself, when was the last time you had a simple sandwich or roti canai (roti canai is one of the local Malaysian food). Just because you are less wealthier during these hard times doesn't mean you can't enjoy the value in things around you.

4. Wealth starts from within you. If you can't have what you want, just be happy with what you have. :) I can give you a list of what I want, which probably is endless but I won't do that because I am just going to be happy with what I have. After all, one can never satisfy one's wants. Enough, it seems never seems to be enough for any of us.

5. Wealth, richness, if you ask me is a matter of perception and lies entirely in the realm of subjectivity. A 1 million dollar house in a 300 thousand dollar neighbourhood is like a mansion, but a 1 million dollar house in a 5 million dollar neighbourhood is probably like a shack. Ever looked at things from this point of view? I am guessing........ no. Well, try it!

6. Learn to give. A dollar to you may be a little, but a dollar to someone out there could mean having something to fill his/her lil' tummy for today. 

Times are bad, wealth is low but it doesn't mean we can't be thankful for what we have. Be happy people!

Everyone is No.1

My road isn't your road, my pain isn't your pain;
Each person has hidden abilities to go forth and face any challenges.

My tears are not you tears, my pain isn't your pain;
Under the same skies with different glorious moments embeds the same feeling.

There is no need to feel fear or guilt.
Instead, we need to stay calm and keep running forward.
Tell yourself, "I can do it!"

Everyone is No.1!
No matter the circumstances, never question if you can do it or you can't do it.
Just take a deep breath to refresh yourself and embrace the future for it will not wait.

Everyone is No.1!
The secret to success lies in your willingness, where the hottest sweat flows from the most sincere heart;
Everyone can truly be number one.

My hands are not your hands, my mouth is not your mouth;
As long as you have a heart, through the strongest winds and rain, we can all be best of friends.

There is no need to feel fear or guilt.
Instead, we need to stay calm and keep running forward.
Tell yourself, "I can do it!"

Everyone is No.1!
The secret to success lies in your willingness, where the hottest sweat flows from the most sincere heart;
Therefore everyone can be number one.

Do not fear the cold road ahead, for as long as there is a bit warmth I will gather my strength and speed.
No matter the circumstances, never question if you can do it or you can't do it.
Just take a deep breath to refresh yourself and embrace the future for it will not wait.

Everyone is No.1!
The secret to success lies in your willingness, where the hottest sweat flows from the most sincere heart;
Therefore everyone can be number one.

These are the words of my favourite Chinese singer, Andy Lau. Fine, fine, fine, some of you may think he is old and why am I not listening to younger singers like Jay Chou, Wang Li Hom, etc... (just don't like them). Besides, I find much meaning in most of Andy Lau's songs. The lyrics came from the song "Everyone is No.1", the official theme song for the Beijing Paralympics 2008.

It is actually a Mandarin song and I hope I got the translation correct. Anyone who thinks I may have made a mistake in the above translation, please let me know and I will do the necessary corrections.

Personally, I can't get tired of listening to this song because of the deep rooted meaning in the song. Everyone is special in their own way and despite the fact that we live in a result oriented world, it really isn't always about the results. Everyone judges one another by evaluating what one has achieved or done. "He made is 1st million when he was 35 years old", "she created this multi-million dollar business on her own", "he created this ground breaking gadget", "she designed this award winning blouse", he did this, she did that...... all these finger pointing at others' successes has now become synonymus with our lifestyles. I can't say that there is anything wrong with that because it does become a focal point for motivation for many people. I have my reservations for such habits though.

I used to look up to many successful people - from extraordinary CEOs, conglomerate founders, country leaders and many more. Keyword here - USED to look up. Up until recently, I realised it wasn't a very healthy habit. I found myself becoming more materialistic, results driven and sometimes even unreasonably agitated at myself.

Rather than being a motivational factor, it somewhat turned into a demotivating factor and was in fact an impetus for low self-esteem. Easiest way to explain the predicament I went through - I suddenly found myself making comparison with these successful people, trying to imitate their success recipe, trying to be like them, do those so called success habits. At the start, I found it very helpful giving me the drive, or at least that's what I thought it was doing. Instead, as time went past, I found it tiring trying to meet those self-imposed expectations. A friend of mine coined it "killing myself".

On top of "killing myself", it also introduced health problems to me. I have now become a statistic suffering from irritable bowel syndrome, gastric, insomnia and also having a very close call with depression. Not to mention, some added medical bills to the tab.

I heard this song some time last year, and it never really occured to me how much truth was embedded in the lyrics. We are all different - in terms of skin colour, ethnicity, backgrounds, jobs, height, weight, and close to everything else. It is with such differences, that we all stand out in our very own way. Some of us may be very fast at picking up languages, some are innately good at socialising and making new friends, or some are born leaders.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with trying to be successful but be successful in your own way. You don't have to have net asset worth of 1 million or a billion to be considered successful, you don't need to drive a Beemer or a Merc to be considered successful, you don't have to wear a watch that costs as much as a house or even eat food that costs as much as 10 McDonald's lunch sets!

I caught a glimpse of the Paralympics that went on in conjunction with Beijing Olympics 2008. Those athletes were no where as fast as the record breaking runner or swimmer but they showed the spirit and emotions in participating. Deep down, I felt that great sense of pity for them because seeing a guy without one leg and yet being able to swim well is no joke. The guy who played tennis in a wheelchair is not the world's no.1 tennis player like Roger Federer but he is no.1 in his own way - you try playing tennis in a wheelchair and I am sure you'll get the point.

Just like the lyrics of the song above, we all have our own set of special abilities. There is no need to try to imitate some other person just because he/she is successful. Be special in your own way, be who you are. Failures happen every now and then but put this way - sometimes even failing can be difficult for some people! Everyone is No.1 - and I mean you too!

We Are Not Alone..... we can always find comfort in those around us

Our days never really gets easier as we grow up and mature. From the day we are given birth to as a tiny toddler, as we go into kindergarten, primary school, secondary school then into tertiary studies and then finally coming out as a graduate to look for a job to make ends meet.

For those who have been in the workplace would understand how tough it can be, having to deal with a myriad of complications from an unreasonable client, to having an uncooperative subordinate, to working for tough bosses; some if not all of us usually end up getting some sort of combination to the above complications and sometimes some unfortunate ones end up having to deal with all three misfortunes.

Forget the workplace, some of us already have a load of other problems at home - car loans, kids' education, house loan, etc...... and the list goes on. Some people even have to deal with the death of loved ones.

Times liks these, when one is dealt with tough reality blows really can really steam roll one's motivation and emotions. In fact, these are the sort of things that lead to depression - mind you, cases of depression increase every year.

Deep down, most of us look at people who suffer from depression as being mentally and emotionally weak not knowing that we ourselves can succumb to depression. I'd know because I went through a rough time earlier this year and I think I am still recovering from it.

Believe you me, it is far from what I would call a nice experience. To some extent I am lucky to be able to speak to people around me (parents, close friends, relatives) and get their insight but there are many out there who don't have people to turn to, and therefore most of the time breakdown and some even end up taking dratic measures like suicide.

Although I haven't fully recovered, I am slowly trying to get myself back in shape by reading more motivational books, blog more to just let it out (not so just much of letting it out, but simply because I like sharing through writing), and playing with my dog.

I do not know how much of it is true, but going on the road of recovering from depression is made less bumpier with the assistance of a pet. I think it is true because during the early part of this year when I went through a horrible time I found much comfort in my dog. I don't have an expensive dog and I don't even know what sort of breed my dog is, but it is nice to have him around.

I must admit that I do find his barking sometimes irritating but I must accept the fact that he is dog and he is going to bark at people, other dogs, cats and etc..... But strangely, I find playing with him relaxing and even if it is for a short moment, I am able to forget about stressful and unwanted thoughts; even if it is for one minute, that one minute of cheerful time means a lot to me.

I clearly remembered the time when my mom wanted Blackie (that's my dog's name anyway), I was rather adamant about it because I knew having a dog would pretty much mean another member of the family, which eventually was going to mean more work to do - cleaning his poo, feeding him, etc..... But now that I look back, I am pretty glad to have Blackie around.

These days when I get back from work, I find myself looking forward to food (that's obvious given my high metabolic rate) and I find Blackie waiting for me to give him a pat. He'd be pacing up and down impatiently for me to pat him. Probably because of his sharp ears, he surprisingly recognises the sound of my car's engine and knows that I am home. It is a good feeling to know there's someone waiting for you when you get home. After all, sometimes I get back pretty late and I find my parents already in bed but I still have Blackie around to fool around with before I go to bed.

Bad times and sad times can come at anytime given the volatile state of our lives - ups and downs are always around. Knowing you have someone around to just be there when you need them can really lift you up, whether it is to just hold your hand, give you a pet on the back, give you a hug or even if it's a dog that goes, "woof, woof!" when it sees you feeling down.

"Our Moment is Now" - Barack Obama

Today's announcement of Obama's electoral success, I believe was no surprise to many of us. One's success also means another's disappointment - McCain has my respect having fought hard and tried hard during the electoral campaigns.

Obama being elected as the President of the United States of America is not just about having a 44th President of USA. His election into the White House creates history - first black President, also the youngest ever person to be elected as the President of USA.

Having missed his maiden speech as the President, I had to settle for a transcript of his speech although I really would have loved to see him giving the speech live. Having witnessed his debate with McCain, I really like his charisma and his innate ability to speak sounding with confidence yet not sounding pompus, his unique ability to stay on the very fine line that divides confidence and arrogance.

Having the majority of Americans vote him clearly spells out one thing - they are ready for change. In his speech, he does not take credit for the win but instead gives the credit to people - the people who voted him. He acknowledges his responsibility to make the very changes people want. Most importantly, he addresses that long road ahead to make reforms - I quote from his speech, "The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term. But, America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you, we as a people will get there. There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as president. And we know the government can't solve every problem.".

If it is one thing that he has shown to the world, it would be that nothing is impossible if one tries one's best and gives it his all. When he first started campaigning, hardly anyone knew who he was let alone think he was ever going to have a chance to win. I remember asking people about who they thought stood a better chance to win. Many whom I spoke to had their fingers pointing at McCain for one reason - because Obama is black. Clearly, his win sends a very clear message - the colour of one's skin has no relationship to one's capabilities.

His speech really does emphasises on how close to anything is possible - "And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America -- the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs, a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "We Shall Overcome." Yes we can.

A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.

America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves -- if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made? This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope. And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can."

I am not American and I probably will not be directly affected by his reforms but I definitely can learn from Obama's experience.

Can anyone be succesful in his/her own way? Yes they can.

Can we make a difference to the lives of the people around us? Yes we can.

When everything is down and just looking horribly out of place, when everyone else is saying you can't do it, we can get back on our feet and start walking with pride. Yes we can.

We can do anything as long as we set our minds to it and earnestly work towards our goals. Yes we can.

Happy Birthday to me!

Yesterday was my birthday but, I don't really celebrate my birthdays for reasons I myself do not know.

Anyway, at the office my boss decided to celebrate my birthday after she found out that yesterday was my birthday. I was called into her room for a short discussion. While talking to her, her room door suddenly opens and I get a group of people singing a birthday song for me. I think I was so happy and surprised I ended up blushing......

It's almost 11pm now and I am so happy I can't seem to find what words to put into this blog entry. I guess I'll just keep it short by saying thanks to all those people who arranged the surprise - you know who you are...... thanks also to those who sang the birthday song as well....... I was very happy and the cake was very tasty too. THANK YOU all from the bottom of my heart!

There are always two sides to a coin.......

Many a times, we often see things from our perspective (i.e. from one viewpoint). There was this one time when I had a small discussion with a friend of mine and of course we couldn't come to terms on the subject matter. I could be wrong but I think, we were debating on the ever famous topic of "whether the egg or the chicken came first".

After about half an hour of back and forth comments, my friend finally just stopped and said, "you know what, I'd be more than happy to look at things from your point of view, but I simply cannot stick my head that far up my own rear end!". Both of us ended up laughing at the comment he made so spontaneously, but I have to admit there is some element of truth to his statement - we hardly look at things from a different perspective unless we are forced to.

My maternal side grandfather passed on about five years ago. He did not die from any disease in particular but simply from the expiry of his bodily functions. He literally died at work, at his office desk when everyone else thought he was taking nap not knowing he had already passed on. Until the very last second of his life, he refused to stay at home and insisted on going to work.

He died when he was 78 years of age if I recall rightly, by the time he was 75 years old I could clearly see him deteriorating - congestive heart problems, weak knees, bad cough and high blood pressure constantly making him go dizzy. I am sure he could have lived on longer if it weren't was his drinking habits during his younger days. Not that I can blame him for drinking since he worked in a labour intensive job.

At one point in time, I overheard him telling my mom, "look, if I ever end up in any form of intensive care, just pull the plug. I don't want to be a burden to any of my kids". I respected his decision and I deep down I knew that he knew what he was saying. He was far from being senile and neither was he even reaching that stage.

Few months before he passed on, we already noticed his physical deterioration getting more distinct and knew his time was coming to an end soon. One day, he was squatting down by the garden trying really hard to trim the wild grass and I overheard him talking to himself (not the exact words but something to this effect), "I hate being seen in this horrible condition! Once an independent man doing everything by my own, now humbled like a young child. *sigh*". About 2 months later, my parents got a phone call from my uncle breaking the news of his death.

Ironically, on his last birthday he mentioned something like, "I may not have been rich, but I had a lot of good food during my younger days, drank a lot more alchohol than I should have been drinking but what the heck? But you know what? We all got to go someday. If I die right now, I'd be happy and satisfied - all my kids doing fairly well, eaten all my favourite food and done what I have been tasked to do as a parent. If I ever end up in a miserable state, I'd rather be dead. I don't want any of my close ones to see me in a pitiful condition. I know all of you love me, and I love you guys too. But I don't want any of you to see me when I kick the bucket, I don't want any of you to be holding my hand when I die. That's what you guys want, not what I want. I want to leave this world happy and I don't want any of you crying by my bed. There are two sides to a coin - even when it comes to dying".

~a chip off the old block~

Sitting in front of my laptop tonight, I find myself trying to figure out what I should write today. It is probably one of those mental block days when ideas do not pop up like they usually do.

Anyway this evening, strangely as I drove into my home porch, I find myself thinking about the unusual quietness tonight. I guess, tonight no one is home since my parents are out for a function.

I find myself strangely missing the usual conversations I have with my dad. Usually when I get home, he'd be back already, other than the occassional nights he gets back later than I do because of business dealings.

The TV is placed fairly close to the porch so if he hears my car driving up the driveway, he'd usually try to get the gate for me although I'd rather he didn't get the gate for me because I'd feel bad about it. We'll usually greet each other and ask how has our day been. And I guess being a chip off the old block, I find myself naturally going for a bucket of water and cloth to start wiping my car if it is not raining. Being like him, I just can't stand driving a dirty car (I can't afford a new car, so I might as well make sure my old car stays like new right?).

While I wipe my car, he'd just hang around and talk to me. We'd talk about anything from government politics to cars and pretty much anything under the sun. Wiping my car whilst talking to him, time just flies like that and next thing you know 20 to 30 minutes has gone by. It is surprisingly nice to have some company while wiping my car.

I find myself reminiscing when I was still a little child, how I'd used to wait up for him till 2 or 3 in the morning to get the gate for him. My mom used to push me to bed about 8 at night but I'd quietly sneak out and just wait up for him, eventually she gave up persuading me to sleep early. I remember how he'd tell me and my elder brother that he's working very hard to make sure a roof stays above our heads. As a little 5 year old, I never truly understood what working hard was about but I knew that whenever he got back early from work he'd come running along to find my brother and I to play, and I clearly remember how happy he'd look calling our names as we run up to him to greet him.

For my dad to come out to start his own small engineering firm, to me is truly a feat given that I have seen many people try to open their own company just to see it go down in under a year or two. Albeit the fact that it is not a big conglomerate with its name known by half the globe, it has been around for 15 years and still going. As a young child, not seeing him during the day meant I had to wait up at night to see him.

Strangely, I never really realised it until today - how he now waits for me to get home, get the gate, accompany me while I wipe my car. That was what I used to do for him as a young boy - wait for him to get home, get the gate and accompany him while he wiped his car. Now that I think about it, I remember I used to play the cassette album Made In Heaven by Queen using his car stereo while both of us sang along whilst he was wiping his car, "I'm taking my ride with destiny, willing to play my part, living with painful memories, loving with all my heart; made in heaven, made in heaven! ........." I hope I got the lyrics right!

I do miss those times - times when you find you do things with your dad without having to worry about having your neighbours think you have a couple of loose screws in the head.

Above all, I believe it is those funny times that I have had with my dad that brings us so close. Many a times, I get friends of mine or even my dad's saying we hardly look like father-son combination but more of a friend-friend combination. I am pretty sure I will not be wrong to say that it is such idiosyncratic things that I have done with my dad that has created such close bonds between the both of us.

Of course there are and will be times when a father and son will knock heads on certain matters, which is simply an inherent part of life whether any of us like it or not. However, there is a saying in Malay "air yang ditetak tidak akan putus"; for those who understand Malay but cannot remember what this idiom means, shame on you................kidding! Anyway, the idiom basically stems from the literal fact that no matter how and what you use to cut/chop/slice water, it will always join back - like family ties, more often than not family arguments are often forgotten after a while.

Come to think of it, I am very lucky and blessed to have a dad like mine, and vice versa for my dad. Bonds like this are hard to come by and definitely cannot be purchased off the shelf. I can definitely learn from this when I become a father in the future, that's IF and WHEN I become one (although prospects do not seem too bright at this juncture! Guess I need to work on gaining more winning points with the opposite sex :P)

These are the little things I experience that makes going home something worth looking forward to! :)

About me and the ~Path of Time~

I have had some friend readers of mine asking me why I chose the name ~Path of Time~ and what got me started on this 'project'. After so many blog entries, I am finally going to give people a low down on why I started ~Path of Time~

Hi, I am Mick. Growing up with an innate liking for writing, I decided to blog about my life (not the most exciting of lives but it'll do for me) :) The ~Path of Time~ showcases my walk of life - life as what I see, hear and experience.

Why I chose the name ~Path of Time~? To me at least, living life is very much similar to walking through time. From the day of my birth to a walking child, teenager, then gradually transitioning into adulthood. Much can happen in one's life, ranging from happy moments to the sadest of times when one is down and out.

~Path of Time~ records my walk of life, sharing my experiences with everyone else at large with the hope that i might gather comments from people who have seen more than I have and hopefully learn from more experienced people. In turn, my experiences can hopefully help others in their own walk of life.

The past few years have not been an any easy ride for me with a lot of ups and downs that has made me, I believe a lil' more matured. There really is a lot out there and close to any form of surprises can just pop up and just look you straight in the eye!

The world is a big place and there is so much to learn. Where else to document my encounters if not on the ~Path of Time~? :)

I truly hope readers will enjoy reading my blog, and if you have suggestions, feel free to drop me a comment and I will see if I can accomodate the suggestions.

Poverty...... how lucky we are and lending a hand to the needy~

Blog Action Day 2008 is tomorrow with this year's agenda on the subject of poverty. For this blog entry, I am going to write without doing any prior research like I always do because this time around, I will try to write bending towards what I feel deep down inside. The subject of poverty, I believe is a subject not touched often and probably does not even come across our mind and therefore requires an opinion from the heart and not the brain.

For starters, poverty as I far as I know is when a person earns less than USD2 in a month. Personally, I believe poverty is not something that can be measure solely based on monetary values. Having no proper shelter, water, food - that is poverty as well.

For most of us, poverty would not be on our minds. We have the Internet, good food, roofs over heads, a comfortable bed, air conditioning. Hence, there is probably no reason for us to think about poverty right? Showered with all the blessings of a comfortable life, we more often than not forget to be grateful for what we have and probably go on rambling about how you wished you had this, had that, many other "I wants".

Most of us may be unaware of this but poverty has been on the agenda for many years for many organisations like UNDP and many other NGOs. Most importantly, the change to alleviate poverty should and must start from individuals like you and I.

When I mean we can contribute to alleviating poverty, I do not mean you and I going around giving donations to people begging for money by the road sides or supermarkets or even restaurants. Allevating poverty is going to need something more substantial in substance. It needs job creation, institute to educate the needy, putting a halt to feeding fat cat executives who short change shareholders, putting an end to corruption and we have to start by not wasting resources. Resources here could be food, money, water; things we take for granted are like gold to many who truly need such novelties.

We can defeinitely help. Albeit the fact that our efforts may be small but it may pave the way for bigger improvements even if you and I may never see the change in our life time. Here's how we can help:
1. Start by not wasting food; all too often I see my peers, children and even grown ups leaving food unfinished;
2. Donate to the needy, but have your donation given to authorised organisations. If you are worried of any misuse that may happen to your money, donate in-kind;
3. Contribute to job creation - hiring one more janitor is not about having higher payroll costs, it also means you may get a cleaner toilet or even possibly less social problems;
4. Before you start rumbling about how pitiful of state you are in, think about some kid who wished he'd get a book to read - be grateful!
5. Create more awareness, by spreading the word to your friends, workmates, family members.

I believe you and I can truly make a difference. After all, by adding up all the small efforts we put in, we will definitely achieve something BIG!

5 more minutes.....

During this week, Wednesday to through Friday because of the festive seasons for our Muslims friends. Sadly, work got in the way of the holiday and I had to put aside all other plans I had for the three days and use the time to rush out some urgent matters for my superior. I expanded a fair bit of energy and effort to turnaround everything by the end of Friday so I could still have the weekend to myself.

Saturday evening was surprisingly cooling and I decided to had of to a nearby park to take a sit and enjoy the quietness. I haven't been fishing to close to a year now after my fishing mate went overseas to further his studies.

At the park, I shared the bench with a middle aged man who looked intently over this girl of maybe 5 or 6 years of age, who was cycling around the park. To kill boredom I thought I might as well break the silence and asked him, "Is that your daughter?". He replied with a nice smile, "Yup! That's my girl!".

It was reaching about 6 in the evening and he decided to call his daughter back, and his daughter replied "Dad, five more minutes please?". He then said okay. Five minutes went by and when he called his daughter back, she would ask for five more minutes. As I watched the sunset, the little kept asking for five more minutes and he'd say okay. Watching that happen, I made a passing statement, "Geez, you are a very patient father".

He then looked at me, and somehow I could see some sadness in his eyes. He then said, "Three years ago, I had a son who died at her age in a car accident. Being busy with work, I never really spent time with him and now I'd do anything to get just five more minutes with him. I don't want to repeat the mistake I made three years ago. Right now, she thinks she gets five more minutes to cycle, but in fact I get five more minutes to see her play."

After the two of them left when it was close to dark, I think I sat there thinking about what he said for a good half an hour; I snapped out of thinking when I realised some mosquito was biting me in the foot. Know what? Life is about priorities and 5 minutes to us could be a short time, or sometimes even dreadfully precious when work deadline lingers closely around the corner. But, sometimes 5 minutes isn't about rushing things out or meeting deadlines. 5 minutes could mean spending precious time with a loved one or never having a chance to spend that time anymore with a loved one.

Fighting the FLU....

I caught the flu some time end of last week, which turned into a fever over the weekend, and I lost my voice at the same time. End of the year, is usually the flu season for many countries especially with the rain that comes and go frequently causing a quick shift in the cold and hot weather.

So I am going to share some quick dos and don'ts to stay away from the FLU:

1. Always make sure you stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water and ocassionally get help from isotonic drinks (Gatorade, 100 PLUS, 7 Up Revive). Our body like engine need requires some cooling. In addition, a hydrated body is more effective in loosing up mucus thereby avoiding nasal congestion. Don't forget, mucus is a very good medium to attract the flu virus!

2. OTC medication can be a quick fix for the flu but make sure you do not have any form of allergy to these tables, and remember to read the instructions at the back of the box. At any point you are unsure of how to take those tablets, please ask a pharmacist or a doctor. Wrongly taking medications can wind up getting you into other dangerous health implications.

3. Anybiotics don't quite work for flu because antibiotics are used to treat bacterial infections and not virus infections. Viruses and bacteria are very different.

4. Practice good hygiene, washing your hands with soap and making sure you keep away from flu sufferers because flu is contagious. Best to keep your hands away from your nose, mouth or eyes - areas that provide easy access to viruses.

5. Lastly, stay away from alchohol and caffeine because these stuff dehydrate you and basically does the opposite of point 1 as explained earlier.

Hopefully these tips might help you stay away from the flu and keep healthy!!! ;)

Fishes can calm you too!

Couple of days back while driving back home from class, I passed by a fish shop. Strangely, I decided to turn back to the fish shop and I found myself walking into the shop to browse the fishes they had for sale.

I always reared fishes since I was child but my fish rearing hobby went into hiatus as I had progressed into my tertiary studies due to time commitments and more assignments to do. Personally, since my younger days I always felt that fishes had a calming effect on me. But I didn't really go into a complete hiatus since I still kept my giant guorami which I started rearing since it was just as tiny as 8cm. Now it is about a good 50cm! This year will be the 8th year since I first bought it.

The picture above is some new additions of fishes in one of my old two feet aquariums. While browsing the fish inventories in the shop I decided to get some Tiger Barbs since they swim in schools and they are always full of live. It might be difficult to see thee fishes in the picture since my camera handphone does not really have a good camera (1.3 mega pixel, oh well......) and I took the picture at night. Oh yeaa, I added some greens into the aquarium as well to make it more comfortable for the fishes (here's a tip for fish keeping - it is not really good to have a bare aquarium for fishes since it tends to scare them since there is no hiding or resting place).

Anyway, I ended up walking out of the fish shop with 15 Tiger Barbs and some fresh water plants for aqua decoration! All in all, it took me about 2 hours to clean up the aquarium, prep the filter and a fair bit of water to set up the aquarium for those small Barbs. Now, I come home everyday looking at this small fellows swimming aruond and I get a nice calming zen effect.

Happy moon cake festival!!!! :)

Yesterday was the Chinese moon cake festival and I got a pleasant surprise from a close friend of my mother. It is really normal and usual to get moon cakes from friends and relatives, but the moon cakes I got this time were really special and how should I say........ CUTe!

"Must be the usual lotus paste moon cake like every year". That's what I thought but I was wrong when I opened up the box. I saw the cutest moon cakes in my life!! Small tiny moon cakes in the shape of a piglet, rabbit, porcupine and a mouse.

If you are wondering where you can buy them, you cannot buy them because they are 100% homemade, with absolutely no preservatives. I tasted one of them and I could really get the taste-from-home feel right in my mouth............ although it does lack some body in terms of it's flavour but homemade food made with love and effort always gives you the satisfaction when eaten.

Happy moon cake festival to everyone out there!!!!!

How's your life?

Very often, we face troubles and find ourselves being bombarded with all sorts of external pressures ranging from work load, relationships, financial, etc....

Our natural reaction would most likely be "SH@#!!!!!!", when faced with problems. I guess, and I am pretty sure I will be right if I were to say that we will all say, "it's one of those bad days", "sucky day!", "crappy day!" or a a very famous phrase from a Stephen King book, of which I believe it is Dreamcatcher, "SSDD - Same Sh@# Different Day" [P.S - kids, don't pick that phrase up please. :)]

So now, this brings me to my point that we are always so concerned about today, the now, busy trying to catch the moment or busy trying to be the center of the cockscrew. In the midst of all the trying, we end up losing our sight on the big picture. The big picture is not only about the now, it is about the past, present and the future.

There is nothing wrong about focusing on the now, but focusing on the now causes us to lose sight of things. Very simply, imagine you keep your eyes focused on your index finger. Keep looking at your finger like your life depends on it. A couple of seconds later you will begin to realise everything else around your index finger becomes blurry, and that's exactly what happens when we are too focused and concentrated on the now. We lose out on the big picture!

Read the short story below and you might just find it more inspiring than my literature above. =)

The Big Picture
Having a bad day? Back up and ask yourself this important question.

He was a most remarkable man. A man of years clearly mapped out upon his face. Clean, well-kept, but not pretentious in his style or dress. I shook his hand and felt a mix of gentleness and hardened, leather-like skin. I would guess he labored most of his life; now he was forced to stop long enough to heal.

His movie-star blue eyes slip you into a momentary trance. He wouldn't notice you staring at him, though, for he is legally blind. But he senses the hesitation in your voice if you do not respond immediately to his first question. "So, how was your life?"

That question alone halts you in your tracks.

"I would be better prepared to answer how was my day," I suggested.

"That's too easy," he said. "I think we need to keep up on our life as a whole."

I thought for a moment and simply asked, "Why?"

"We tend to nit-pick. We can so easily take one day and dissect it. It is easy to say you are having a bad day. Or simply write it off as 'One of those days.' But when we broaden the view, we take much more into consideration. Life in general will be 'good' or at least 'okay,'" he explained.

"So you cut right to it and ask for an overall rating," I said.

"If I can get someone to see the big picture and realize there is more good in their life than one bad day, I might even change their outlook on this very day," he said.

"So, how was your life?" I asked him right back.

"Wonderful so far!" he responded with a smile. "Thanks for asking."

Then he said one more thing that really stayed with me. "I'm on the shady side of sunset."

How powerful! It seems to me that we often see life as beginnings and endings. Sunrise depicts a new dawn, an exciting adventure ahead. Sunset make us think of endings, like "riding off into the sunset."

This man knew his life, his time, was coming to a close.

"I do hope the sun sets slower for you," I told him. "You have so many more people to ask the big question."

Before I left I promised him I'd help. Let me begin by asking you.

"So, how was your life?"

~The Parables of the Marbles~

Let me see... how should I start this post........?
Every now and then, we are dogged by our desires (i.e. wants rather than needs). However, we are often unsure of where the line is drawn between knowing what are our wants and what our needs. Not surprising, that we find that satisfying our wants will more often than not lead to a selfish decision.

Purely out of curiousity, I was browsing through some self-help books and I bumped into this story that describes how selfishness can become the very button that leads to losing the things important to onself.

Once upon a time, there was a foolish boy who had a bag full of beautiful marbles. Now this boy was quite proud of his marbles. In fact, he thought so much of them that he would neither play with them himself nor would he let anyone else play with them. He only took them out of the bag in order to count and admire them; they were never used for their intended purpose. Yet that boy carried that coveted bag of marbles everywhere he went.

Well, there was also a wise boy who wished he could have such a fine bag of marbles. So this boy worked hard and earned money to purchase a nice bag to hold marbles. Even though he had not yet earned enough with which to purchase any marbles, he had faith and purchased the marble bag. He took special care of the bag and dreamed of the day it would contain marbles with which he could play and share with his friends.

Alas, the foolish boy with all of the marbles didn't take care of the marble bag itself, and one day the bag developed a hole in the bottom seam. Still, he paid no attention and, one by one, the marbles fell out of the bag.

It didn't take long, once the foolish boy's marble bag developed a hole, for the wise boy to begin to find those beautiful marbles, one at a time, lying unnoticed on the ground. And, one by one, he added them to his marble bag. The wise boy thus gained a fine bag full of marbles in no time at all. This boy played with the marbles and shared them with all of his friends. And he always took special care of the bag so he wouldn't lose any.

And what about the foolish boy? Because he was selfish and careless, he lost all of his marbles and was left holding the bag.

Health Mistakes

All of us make little health mistakes that cause damage to our bodies in the long run - simply because we are unaware we are doing something wrong. Here are some of the most common mistakes made by a lot of us.

Crossing our legs
Do you cross your legs at your knees when sitting? Although we may believe that this is the lady-like elegant way to sit, sitting this way cuts down circulation to your legs. If you don't want varicose veins to mar the beauty of your legs and compromise your health, uncross your legs every time you realise you have one knee on top of the other. The best way to sit is to simply place both legs together on the floor, balancing your weight equally. If you feel like! changing position, instead of crossing your legs, simply move both legs together to one side. As an alternative, you could also consider crossing your legs loosely at the ankles. This is a classically elegant way to sit, and is far better for your legs and your health than sitting with your legs crossed at your knees.

Not changing our toothbrush
How often do you change your toothbrush? Most of us wait until most of the bristles have either fallen off, or are in such bad shape that we'd be embarrassed to pull out our brush in public. However, since not many of us need to pull out our brush in public, we carry on with our frayed one until we lose it. Replace your toothbrush often. Damaged bristles can harm the enamel, and don't massage your gums well. If you find brushing your teeth a pain like I do, but know you must do it, you might as well be doing it right. Imagine going through the annoyance of brushing your teeth twice a day only to find out that you're damaging your enamel every time you clean your teeth. Also, use a brush with soft bristles unless your dentist has advised otherwise.

Eating out often
There are oils that are high in cholesterol, and oils that cause little harm and are better for your heart. However, no matter how light the oil is, it is never a good idea to eat too much of it. Limit outdoor eating unless you know that you're getting served light and healthy food.

Skipping breakfast
Never, ever skip breakfast.. Remember, when you wake up in the morning it's been around 10-12 hours since your last meal. Your body needs food now, more than at any other time. Eat a heavy breakfast. You will then be busy through the day, and the calories will get expended quickly. If you are trying to diet, eat a light dinner. Here are some more common health mistakes we make. Being informed and making a few changes can help make us feel a whole lot better.

High heels
High heels sure look great, but they're murder for your back. This however doesn't mean you should steer clear of stilettos. Wear them, but not when you know you will be walking around a lot. Wear them when going out for lunch or dinner - when the only walking you will be doing is to your car, to the table, and back. Avoid high heels when you are going somewhere on foot. If you are constantly tempted to wear your heels, take a good look at your flats. Is there something about them you dislike? Invest in a new pair of beautiful flats or shoes with a low heel. Buy something you love, that you will enjoy wearing. If possible, get a matching bag. You will then enjoy your flats as much as you do your heels.

Sleeping on a soft bed
You don't have to sleep on the floor be kind to your back, but do make sure you have a firm mattress. Although a mattress on springs is soft and lovely to sink into, it's bad for your back. If you already have an old bed with springs, you don't need to invest in a new one - simply get a thick wooden plank put over the springs, and place the mattress on the plank. Similarly, if your mattress is old and lumpy, throw it out and get a new one.Your neck and your back will thank you. The same rule applies to sofas. If you will be spending hours on a sofa, get a firm yet comfortable one. Sofas you completely sink into are not the best idea.

Pillows
No matter how comfortable sleeping with ten cushions is, have pity on your neck and resist. Sleep with one pillow, and make sure it is not too thick. If your pillow gets lumpy, discard it and go for a new one. Get a thin pillow if you sleep on your stomach, and something a little thicker if you sleep onyour back, to give your neck adequate support.

Not exercising
So all of us know we should exercise more, but many of us don't. This is a health mistake we consciously make! And why is that? Simply because we refuse to admit the damage we are causing to our bodies by not working out. A number of people only start working out once they've experienced a warning signal. Don't wait for a heartattack to strike before you decide to opt for a lifestyle change. Make the change now. You don't need to train for the marathon to be in top shape. Half an hour of brisk walking three to four times a week will make a world of difference to your health. You could then increase this to forty minutes, four times a week - and you're all set. If you haven't exercised for a week, you're making a mistake.